Randall Flagg 
"I want perfection."
|
|
Archive for June, 2007
Saturday, June 30th, 2007
It’s been six weeks (I think) since I started Rippetoe’s Starting Strength. It’s been fun and beneficial, except for one thing… well, two things… groin pulls/adductor strains, on both sides. Since they aren’t going away no matter how I adjust my squat form, I figure I need a few weeks of rest from squatting heavy 3x a week. So, I think I’m going to go back to my old hypertrophy routine for at least two weeks. That had squats in it, but only on leg days, and in varying rep ranges, so I’ll end up squatting heavy much, much less. This switch might have an added benefit in that I now want to accelerate fat loss, and the super sets/circuit style of the old routine really added a cardio component to the work out. If I can get my body fat back down to the original 12-13%, I’ll be pretty pleased.
Oh, one other thing. I’ve become very interested in GPP stuff. I need to construct some kind of huge-ass sled which I can load up with weight and drag around. It’s gonna be awesome.
Posted in Training
Monday, June 18th, 2007
This program is starting to kick my ass now that the weights are increasing. Had to drop back a couple pounds on squat to really solidify my form, and I’ve stalled on bench the last two times at 150. Last week I missed the last rep of the last set; this time I got crushed after just three reps on the second set… And I banged up or twisted the back of my wrist somehow in the process and it’s kinda swollen now. I’ve also got adductor strains on both sides that bother me when I squat. Finally, I’ve stopped gaining weight; pretty much stalled at 158-159 for a couple weeks.
But, I’m not too worried. I’m not expecting weight gain at the moment, rather a general recomp, and that seems to be succeeded; I can’t tell if it’s just my increasing tan, but that damnable film of fat that’s lingered around my middle seems to be reducing. At the same time, my chest and especially back are getting more defined. If I can keep trading fat for muscle, I don’t think I’ll mind being 159 for the summer.
As for the stalled training… I’m just gonna eat more! Heheh. I’ll try benching 150 x 3 x 5 one more time on Friday, but I have a feeling I’ll have to reset the weight. 135 seems to be my max for three sets with perfect form, so I’ll drop back to that if I fail again on Friday, and start rising from there. Then I WILL breach 150, finally.
However, for now, my wrist is pretty sore… I hope it’ll feel better by Wednesday. I’ve gotta go for 90 on military press.
Posted in Training
Friday, June 8th, 2007
Just finished my ninth workout on Mark Rippetoe’s "Starting Strength" program. I think it’s safe to conclude that I’m not getting as much hypertrophy and growth from this program as I was on my previous six-day split, but it is fun having my lifts increase with each workout. Also, I like the idea that when I do return to a hypertrophy-specific routine, I’ll be much stronger than I was before, thus capable of using heavier weights, thus capable of even better results!
As of today, I’m lifting as much in bench and squat as I ever have before, so, next week, I’ll be exceeding my previous personal records. I have a feeling a reset is on the way for bench press, and probably shoulder press also. We’ll see.
Got my grades back. Another 4.0 this semester. My cumulative GPA is finally in the "cum laude" range. Should help me get a good job, or continue wasting time by going to grad school…
Posted in Training
Monday, June 4th, 2007
Okay, I’m getting sick and damn tired of hearing that it was my own fault I got a hernia or that I somehow “brought it on myself” by lifting weights. Fact: an inguinal hernia is a birth defect. Here’s a little biology lesson. There are small holes in the muscle lining in the lower male abdomen through which the testicles originally descend. These holes usually close up tightly so only the vas deferens gets through, but sometimes the hole does not close up properly, leaving an inherent weakness in the muscle wall through which the intestines can protrude—aka, a hernia. This weakness has nothing to do with lifting weights! It’s simply genetic. Hell, infants are diagnosed with inguinal hernias. Lifting weights absolutely cannot cause an inguinal hernia; the most that heavy lifting can do is increase the pressure inside your abdomen, causing the intestines to protrude more and more. This causes increased pain and the trademark ”bulge”—in other words, it causes/increases the common symptoms of a hernia. It does not actually cause the hernia itself.
In conclusion, there was absolutely nothing I could’ve done to prevent my injury. Hell, as I’ve said before, I was having abdominal pains long before I even started lifting again. It is in no way my fault, nor does it have anything to do with weight lifting, or “bad form” or anything. If you think otherwise, **** you, and keep your criticism to yourself.
Now that that’s out of the way… Still on Rippetoe. Still making linear progress. Today I started using N.O. Xplode supplement and I think it actually did help my intensity and focus. I haven’t sweat so much in a while.
I’m trying to keep my diet really clean and just above maintenance calories for a while, so I don’t expect to be gaining much weight… might even drop a few pounds (of fat). I’m a lot bigger than I used to be, but not much more defined, especially my torso. I want to see some definition. So, for a while at least, I’ll be gauging my progress by the mirror instead of the scale. Let’s hope to see some abs in the coming weeks.
Posted in Training
|
Leave Comment